Genetics of high blood pressure due to certain drugs

Hypertension means high blood pressure. High blood pressure is when pressure in your arteries stays higher than it should. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to the body. Pulmonary hypertension (PAH) is a special type of high blood pressure. This type affects the arteries in your lungs and the right side of your heart. The right side of your heart pumps blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs to get oxygen. The left side then pumps oxygen-rich blood to the body. In PAH, the pressure build-up causes the right side of your heart to work harder. Over time, this makes the heart muscles weak to the point they stop working. Lots of things can cause PAH. Blood clots, lung and heart diseases, AIDS, high altitudes and certain drugs are examples. Scientists in this study are focusing on PAH caused by certain drugs. Drugs like cocaine can cause PAH. But PAH can also be a side effect of some prescription drugs. Not everyone who takes those drugs will develop PAH. So, scientists think that genes may play a part in who gets PAH after taking the drugs. The scientists will find out how often certain prescription drugs cause PAH. Then they will look for patients who took those drugs. They will check if any of those patients developed PAH. They will use BioVU to look for gene changes in those patients. They will compare them to the genes of patients taking the same drugs that don’t get PAH. They hope to find a link between gene changes and PAH caused by these drugs. This study may help us understand more about PAH caused by certain drugs. It may also help doctors better treat patients at risk for PAH.